'Advanced technique?'
Ethan repeated Ilika's words in his mouth. His face showed no emotion, but inwardly, he was contemplating Ilika's words with glee and surprise. He had a certain suspicion about Alapurians, one that originated from studying the invasions that plagued Vakuma for so long.
As the heir of the Rakaru estate, he was obligated to learn about it, and hence, he questioned one thing. One, Alapurians had few people who could enhance their bodies on their own, without relying on artifacts.
These individuals, who were capable of enhancing themselves with their mana and weapons, belonged to the Draconis Sanctum, the Beastly Aris, and some others unaffiliated with the two churches.
Alapurians struggled to actually enhance their bodies and weapons with their Ki, or as they called it, mana. Only the talented individuals could even begin to grasp this technique...
And that was shocking for Vakumans, for even a young adult, who had never trained for combat, could enhance parts of their body through Ki. Everyone on Vakuma, even those who had never trained for combat, could enhance parts of their bodies. With some actual training, they could enhance their bodies fully. Although the degree of enhancement varied through the ranks, basic body strengthening was something simple to learn on Vakuma.
Vakumans decided their power and progression based on three core factors.
The first was to enhance their bodies. To spread Ki throughout their bodies and improve their physical abilities exponentially. Anyone capable of performing basic enhancement could be classified as a Mercenary.
The second was enhancing their weapon; anyone capable of making their Ki course through their weapon and increasing its power would be classified as a Warrior. This was considered the average in Vakuma. With a bit of training, even without an instructor, one could become a warrior.
The third, and most difficult thing for a Vakuman to do was expel their Ki outside their body, and utilize it in any way he deemed fit. Anyone capable of manipulating even a single percent of their Ki to use outside their body was called a High-Class Warrior, and these could qualify to become Squires.
Squires were those who could perform Low-intermediate levels of enhancement of both body and weapon, and were capable of manipulating nine percent of their Ki to act outside of their bodies.
Anyone who passed that threshold could call themselves a knight. A knight, those who could actually be called an Elite, could perform High-Intermediate levels of enhancement of their bodies and weapons, as well as utilize ten percent or more of their Ki outside their body to their will.
Ethan, although he had not been knighted, could be considered a knight. He could control about twenty-three percent of his Ki outside his body, using it in many ways. However, due to his low Ki capacity, he struggled with enhancement, only being able to enhance his body to an intermediate level.
However, even with that, his Ki control and quality put him on a pedestal above the average knight, something that was considered impossible for someone his age and circumstances.
Those were the basics of power in Vakuma... but in Alapur, it was the exact opposite.
The most difficult thing for a Vakuman to achieve could be accomplished by anyone on Alapur, according to Igimo. Alapurians could freely expel their mana outside their bodies, performing what they called 'magic'.
However, enhancing their bodies was a separate matter entirely. Similar to how Vakumans struggled to expel their Ki, Alapurians struggled to enhance their bodies with mana. To this day, this discovery has confused many Vakuman scholars.
Alapurians faked true enhancement by coating their bodies and weapons with their mana to achieve certain effects. Such a method, was not only a waste of precious Ki according to Vakumans, but also pathetic compared to actual enhancement.
Ethan had simply read about it, which was why he asked that question. Some Vakuman scholars who had spent a lot of time studying the Alapurian invaders argued that this difference was due to either the blessings of their gods or Genetics. However, if Ethan was being honest...
That was just something he had read in passing, and his knowledge of genetics and whatnot was pathetic. He was someone who had strived to become the heir of the Rakaru estate, not an academy scholar. Therefore, he asked that question, and more after that.
Now that he was stranded on Alapur, it irked him why this was the case, and he wanted to study it, beginning with Ilika. He asked Ilika to do whatever he wished to enhance his body, and the boy did what he knew best.
His mana swirled outside of his body, at a rate which shocked Ethan... and covered his sword and body, like a weak whirlwind. Ilika was close to Ethan's level of manipulation, without having trained for a single day in his life... However, Ethan had a massive advantage in his natural body.
As Vakumans progressed through the stages of enhancement, their bodies grew with them, becoming stronger, tougher, even if they weren't focused on enhancing them with Ki. A certain amount of Ki started to flow from the center to the bodies naturally, always. Some of it stayed, enhancing their bodies, and the Ki center produced more to make up for that gap.
Ethan, with his hands tied behind his back, as well as one leg, could still beat Ilika quite easily. All it would take would be one kick, and even without enhancement, it would break Ilika's weak body easily.
However, in manipulation, Ilika would surpass him with just a day or two of training. As the lesson progressed, with Ethan teaching him how to position his sword and feet, teaching him how to actually grab his sword effectively and proper strikes, he studied the mana around the boy.
To him, there was no difference in the true nature of the energy coursing through their bodies... But he still could not even begin to fathom why Vakumans and Alapurians were different in that regard...
As the lesson continued, Ethan became engrossed in teaching Ilika the basics and many things, urging him to focus on his mana as he studied it further. Much to Ilika's glee.
The boy was unaware he was being studied, only enjoying his first ever proper lesson.